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Friday, April 3, 2015

Latias & Latios Pokémon Center 2014 plush dolls!

Hello everyone!

Again I've gone and done it.
Yes, me and Hasakitsuki were checking out Asakura-Japan's eBay store and, of course, one does not simply leave the page without clicking on the "buy it now" button. This time it was me who couldn't sleep peacefully unless I got my hands on another Latias & Latios plush set – this time in bigger size! I swear I couldn't resist, okay? ;_;
Ever since I was a little kid I've really wanted to have plush dolls of these two and well, back in the days I only ever saw the old PokéDoll ones online which I couldn't buy because well, I was a kid which now are probably shit expensive and hard to find – at least if you want authentic ones. But yeah, so for years I was secretly crossing my fingers that another set of Lati-sibling plushies –preferably non-chibified– would eventually be made and so, when the Pokémon video game remakes Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire were launched, I saw a possibility that along with the game remake hype would be a new wave of 3rd generation Pokémon plush dolls showing up at least in Japanese Pokémon Centers, if nothing else.

My assumptions were true and Asakura-Japan was carrying these babies!

OHMAIGLAB. <3

My soul was sold that instant – I needed this things or I'd go crazy. They were just way too pretty, soft-looking and c'mon, Latias and Latios are among my absolute top favorite Pokémons. Ever.

So these cuties were only a few clicks away and a turn of the waiting game. Luckily the waiting game is very short when you order from Asakura-Japan and so, thankfully, my suffering was short-lived. In the mail soon a cardboard box showed up, which we've gotten used to expect by now. You can check out my store review here for more details about the Asakura-Japan eBay store!

The box was opened and out came two colorful Eon Pokémon and –oh lord– do I have to say that these plushies are by far the softest shit I've ever laid my fingers on ermahglerb. ;A; I swear they're so silky soft to the touch that I could probably spend half the day just stroking them. <3
One thing though that puts these plushies apart from other Lati-sibling ones is that the arms are out instead of drawn inside. This way is definitely 20% cooler!

But I'll spare you from the excited fanboy ramblings and get ahead with the review-ish photos!

Latios is up first!

Fullbody, seen from above.

Fullbody, seen from the side.

Fullbody, showing the underside.

Latios is approximately 27 cm from nose to tail. His body is a light gray and his mouth is pointed slightly downwards so that he has a neutral/serious expression. He is ultra soft to the touch and fairly squishy too – very huggable! <3

Next up are detail close-up photos!

Arm close-up.

Arm close-up, underside.

Head close-up.

Back close-up, seen from above.

Back and side close-up.

Tail close-up.

Wing close-up.

Chest close-up.

Head underside close-up.

Ear detail close-up.

Eye detail close-up.

Arm area close-up.

Stomach and, well,butt close-up.

As you can see by looking at the detail shots there is a fair amount of detail and everything is true to the original – the underside of the arms have the lines and all the characteristics that make Latios appear different from Latias are there as well, faithfully replicated. Even the small differences, like Latios having two "spikes" where his arms end and Latias having three, are very nicely done.
Regarding the tail thingies they don't have any filling inside and so they look a bit floppy – same goes for the ears. But both of them stay up and in shape well, even though the fabric creases in specific spots; you can't get rid of it. Oh and speaking of the ears, the ears have a slight sewn cut in them to be more accurate; you don't really notice it unless you pull the ear a bit but it's a nice detail.
Otherwise I can mention that some of the details are embroidered on: triangle, eyes, mouth and the edges of the "dot" on the head. The triangle and eyes are of the same red color. The proportions are all just right too! <3

Next up are the tag photos!

Tush tag, front.

Tush tag, back.

Paper tag, front.

Paper tag, back.

With Latios photoshooted hihi it's time for Latias!

Fullbody, seen from above.

Fullbody, seen from the side.

Fullbody, showing the underside.

Latias is slightly shorter than Latios overall. Her length from nose to tail is approximately around 23 cm.
Her body is a very light mint color, just like it's supposed to be. Latias is equally soft and huggable as Latios and of course equally well-made too!

And with that it's close-up detail photo time!

Arm close-up.

Arm close-up, underside.

Eye detail close-up.

Ear detail close-up.

Back close-up, seen from above.

Chest close-up.

Arm detail close-up.

Wing close-up.

Head underside close-up.
(ignore the small dot, it's just some dirt that can be brushed off)

Tail close-up, seen from below.

Tail close-up, seen from above.

Wing attachment close-up.
Notice how the red area sticks out around the wing.

Latias has the same attention to detail as Latios and her body is well-proportioned. Her stomach area is notably shorter than that of Latios who has a huge butt in comparison lol but that's also how it's supposed to be. Also her wings are sewn on the two red spots on each side, both of them being bumpy to give the right look.

The tail ends are without filling as well and same with the ears. The ears on Latias don't have the deeper cut as Latios does and thus they don't "fold" along the middle because of that.

Now to the tag photos!

Tush tag, front.

Tush tag, back.

Paper tag, front.

Paper tag, back.

Of course are both of them authentic and from Japan – I don't support counterfeit goods. Asakura-Japan's store is safe to buy from and I'd warmly recommend them for all your geeky needs!

But before I finish up this post I want to mention the wings, especially. You might have noticed that I didn't write anything about them, right? Well, I kinda saved it for last because the wings are really cool. You see, they are bendable like no one's business! :'D They bend in any direction with just a little pressure and take no damage! Then again, I haven't tried any extreme bending with force or pulling at the wings; always have to be careful, just in case. But so far they seem to be really sturdy and durable!
I don't know what exactly is inside the wings but it's pretty thick – feels like some kind of foam or soft plastic. It's almost as if there were some thick craft foam but without the risk of it creaking and weakening. It's really fun to play with it because you can easily press the wings down straight or poke them up and down with your fingers to make it seem like they flap, haha.

Demonstration photos? Sure!

Lightly bending the wing with my thumb.

Bending the wing with my finger, using a tiny bit more strength
than on the example above.

The wings do hold their shape, if you don't do anything to them and there is nothing in their way, but they easily alter their position –and keep it– if you for example put the plushie with one wing facing and going up against a wall or such. If the wings "mold" into another position you can easily fix it by keeping them down in the wanted position for a few seconds. They are very adjustable; I put mine into my very crammed closet and they fit in just fine after the wings got used to their new surrounding lol.

One thing though. Even though the wings are sturdy and durable they will still flop around on their own –at least on Latios– if you move the plushie up and down quickly. For some reason this doesn't work with Latias. x) Maybe it's because Latios have slightly longer wings and they are attached on an even spot with nothing to give them support, if you understand what I mean. I'm basically just saying that the bumps on Latias' back might have something to do with it.

Have a floppy wing demontration gif!

This should give you the basic idea. :'D It was hard to make a gif because I kept getting the photo taken during the second when there was little movement and so, when you put the photos together, it didn't really show that the wings were actually flapping...

Consider dropping me a comment if you enjoyed this post ~Maybe you got inspired, learned something new or you have some other things you want to tell me? I really like getting feedback so don't hesitate to write a line if you have something to say – a little dose of appreciation brightens up my days. (｡◕‿◕｡)Psst, I read everything even if I don't always answer! ^_^

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About Me

The name is Kai, I'm a young man underneath the northern lights in Sweden & Finland! My heart beats for cosplay, Japanese popular culture, video games, alternative fashion, poetry, blogging, photography etc. I'm that one metalhead guy who (not so) secretly also likes unicorns and cute things. I hope you enjoy your time reading and you're much welcome to follow my blog if you like it! ♥ ^_^